Starting in 2004, DCNR began working toward an integrated approach to the management, conservation and development of important landscapes throughout Pennsylvania. These conservation landscapes created partnerships with communities, other state agencies, local governments, philanthropies, and nonprofits to develop and advance work toward landscape-specific goals.

In January 2009, OMG Center for Collaborative Learning began to document and assess the landscape approach to improve and inform future implementation of the work in the Commonwealth and to share this knowledge with others contemplating similar efforts. This work and an in-depth look at three of the regions can be found in these reports:

To assess the economic impact of its first and most comprehensive region, DCNR commissioned Econsult Corporation and Wharton GeoSpatial Initiative to provide a more quantitative analysis of the Pennsylvania Wilds initiative. The Econsult report assesses the extent to which the initiative has had an economic impact on the Pennsylvania Wilds region, and to identify improvements in data collection and performance measurement that can improve similar evaluation efforts in the future. That economic analysis is summed up in thePA Wilds Program Evaluation.